Rochdale child rapist, 42, who fled UK for Pakistan after lying to judge he had a funeral to attend during his trial is extradited back to Britain to begin 19-year jail term

• Rochdale child rapist who fled Britain after fake funeral trip is extradited
• Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain, 42, was one of 10 men who committed sex offences
• He was jailed in his absence in 2016 to 19 years for raping a teenage girl
• Hussain, who was given permission to attend funeral during his trial, was brought back to Britain yesterday 

A convicted rapist from Rochdale who fled the UK while on bail during his trial nearly five years ago has been extradited from Pakistan.

Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain, 42, was one of 10 men - mainly of Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage who committed sexual offences against a teenage girl in the town.

Hussain, was jailed in his absence in 2016 for 19 years for rape, sexual activity with a child and conspiracy to rape.

During his trial in 2015 he was given permission to leave after claiming he wanted to go to a relative's funeral in Britain, but instead left for Pakistan.

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Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain, 42, formerly of Rochdale, was captured by a joint UK-Pakistan force in January last year

He was arrested in Faisalabad last year after international crime agencies and Greater Manchester Police launched a manhunt. He has been held in prison until his extradition yesterday.

The white complainant told officers that from the age of 14 she had been repeatedly sexually groomed by a large number of men.

She also said 'hundreds of men' would ring her up wanting her to go out and have sex with them.

The vulnerable teenager came forward following widespread media coverage of the 2012 convictions at Liverpool Crown Court of nine Asian defendants for grooming white girls for sex in Rochdale.

Operation Doublet, which looked into the sexual exploitation of teenage girls in Rochdale. 

Most of the offences took place between 2004 and 2008 and involved victims who were aged 13 to 23.

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Hussain, was jailed in his absence in 2016 for 19 years for rape, sexual activity with a child and conspiracy to rape

Detective Superintendent Jamie Daniels, of Greater Manchester Police, said: 'Hussain is a sexual predator who mistakenly thought he could flee to another country to live the good life, while his victim was forced to deal with the consequences of his vile actions and robbed of justice.

'His apprehension demonstrates that when it comes to pursuing perpetrators of child sexual exploitation, we will hunt them across the globe if necessary.'

Dr Christian Turner, from the British High Commission in Islamabad, said: 'This latest example of close co-operation between the UK's and Pakistan's law enforcement agencies shows there is no escape for those who flee from the law, even across international boundaries.

'Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain will finally face jail for his terrible crimes.

'This is down to the hard work and excellent collaboration between Pakistan and UK authorities, including the Federal Investigation Agency, the Punjab Police, Greater Manchester Police, and teams at the British High Commission in Islamabad.'   

Hussain was convicted alongside NINE of the men for sexual abuse and child grooming in Rochdale 

Ten men were jailed in 2016 for over 125 years for a range of serious sexual offences. It was part of Operation Doublet - an investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rochdale.

It was formed in 2012 to investigate reports of historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale between 2003 and 2013. Nine men were jailed for a string of sex offences in 2012. 

The following men were convicted - including Hussain - during two trials at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester in April 2016.

The convictions related to offences committed against eight victims who were aged between 13 and 23 at the time of the abuse. 

They were: Afraz Ahmed, 37, of Rochdale, found guilty of two counts of rape, two counts of conspiracy to rape, two counts of inciting sexual activity, five counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of Section 47 assault against five victims. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain 42, of Rochdale, was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of rape and one count of conspiracy to rape against one victim. 

Rehan Ali, 31, of Blackley, was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of rape against one victim. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Kutab Miah, 39, of Rochdale, was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of rape against one victim. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Mohammed Dauood, 42, of Burnley was found guilty of three counts of rape, one count of sexual Activity with a child, one count of sexual assault and one count of Section 47 assault against two victims. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Abid Khan, 43, of Liverpool was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child against one victim. He was sentenced to 6 and a half years in prison.

Mohammed Zahid, 59, of Rochdale was found guilty of one count of sexual activity with a child against one victim. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

David Law, 40, of Ilkeston, Derbyshire was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to rape against one victim. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

A man who cannot be named for legal reasons was found guilty of three counts of rape and attempted child abduction against three victims. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison plus 8 years on extended licence.

Mahfuz Rahman, 33, of HMP Garth pleaded guilty to three counts of Sexual Activity with a Child and was sentenced to five years and six months in prison at the beginning of the trial.